Told You So
by RemiNyao
Summary: When his eyes first reopened to the light of twilight town, the hardest thing to believe was that he was still clinging to that semblance of hope he'd been left with so long ago. :AkuRoku: :M for language, to be safe:


**Good day to you all! In honor of a brand new start, I'd like to take the opportunity to write a little drabble. Enjoy it, you guys~**

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There was nothing. There was never anything in the first place, for that matter. A Nobody was simply nothing, they'd been told. They'd also been feeding everyone _else_ the same line of bullshit since day one. At least, Axel had always viewed it as bullshit. 'Nothing' couldn't regain 'everything'. 'Nothing' couldn't talk, move, smile, and laugh… even if it wasn't really real all the time. Sometimes it _was_ real, and that's why he wasn't 'nothing'. 'Nothing' couldn't make first impressions, and leave everlasting final marks on a person's heart and mind. And 'Nothing' can't fade away… simply because there would be nothing to fade.

In that aspect, maybe he really was 'Nothing'. After all, he was still there, wasn't he? Who knew how long it had been since that moment; since the black had taken over, finally 'erasing' him from 'non-existence'. He wasn't a ghost—he knew that. He'd been run into plenty of times, wandering the streets of Twilight Town in search of that last glimpse he didn't really want of a life his best friend didn't really have. He wasn't dead… but had he ever really been alive to begin with?

It had taken him a while just to get calmed down after coming back. The vivid memories of what he thought were his final wishes had taken over. He… didn't want another chance. Another chance meant living on knowing Roxas wasn't going to be there to share it with him. Another chance meant he was going to spend night after night (which he had) thinking about all the things he should have done differently. That wasn't what he wanted. When he had exhausted himself at that time, he hadn't wanted to continue going. He thought he was leaving the worlds, and he was satisfied with that. There was no getting Roxas back, so giving Sora a chance to fix what he'd helped fuck up was the best remaining option. He was leaving, so he didn't have to worry about what he said, or what he did. There was never more truth to his outspoken words than in that moment, and he was… glad, that he didn't have to explain them to anyone. So this whole 'coming back to sort-of-life' thing was really grating on his lingering sanity.

He was still asking himself: If he'd wanted to stay away from everything he knew so that he didn't have to give a reason for his prior actions… why was the first place he'd come to Twilight Town? The place he always spent precious time with his best friend, talking about nothing in particular and just being content with the moments—not having a heart, but pretending he did and loving every second of it.

Those memories brought him what little pain he could have. Roxas always let him feel when he was around; memories of him were the only things that kept his chest aching from the inside. Pain was better than nothing, he supposed, but it was going to become unbearable eventually. He knew it.

The days had started to move quicker. He still spent each one just… wandering, trying to find some left-over hint of proof that he and Roxas had ever been at all. But with time moving faster, his mind was racing harder, the pain frequenting his chest getting stronger as that desperate hope wore on and on. Twilight Town was becoming a lost cause.

Now, it was difficult just to get up each time he woke, be it at morning or at dusk, to continue his search. There was never going to be a pair of clear blue eyes looking up at him again, no more irritated voice telling him to shut up or calling him names. There would be no more sore spots on his upper arms—proof that he'd gone too far with a joke. Respectively, there would be no blond hair to ruffle, or soft-skinned ears to hear an apology. That was what he was regretting most. He'd been bitter the last time he'd ever really gotten to talk directly to him… and he'd never get the chance to make up for that.

As he walked the streets once more, Axel decided it was to be his final day of searching. The next time he woke, he would be leaving; maybe for an entirely new world, one with eternal night and no sunsets or clock towers or sea-salt ice cream. No blue eyes, no blond hair… no pain. He rose up the hilled way to the old mansion after what seemed like the longest day he'd ever encountered, ready to go inside and spend the night forgetting.

But there was… still something there. Something in the back of his mind, just begging him to stay, telling him there was still hope, still a chance for Roxas—… no. He knew it was too late. He wouldn't be there. He wouldn't be anywhere. He would never hear his name called again, not by that voice. '_Axel, what are you doing?!' _His face would turn red sometimes._ 'Axel, watch out!' _Sometimes he'd act worried._ 'Axel, quit touching me there.' _And annoyed._ 'Hey, Axel! Come check this out!' _Excited. _'I said no, Axel.' _Exasperated. _'Oh god, Axel, did you see the look on Xemnas' face?' _He'd laugh._ 'Are you okay, Axel…?' _And frown. _'Axel.' 'Axel?' 'Axel!'_

"… xel. _Axel!_ Turn _around!_"

As he came back to a full conscious state of mind, all he felt was a harsh hand on his shoulder—from the owner of that all-too-familiar irritated tone of voice—turning him around forcefully. Steely green eyes met striking blue, and there were no words for what hit him.

"I knew it was you… I _knew_ you were alive, Axel."

A smile broke out on that perfect angel-like face, and Axel's knees hit the ground.

"Axel..?"

Before he knew it, he was grabbing the blond by the arm and pulling him into a tight embrace. Roxas' legs ended up on either side of Axel's lap, and all he could give was a slightly confuse expression before he relaxed in his arms, eyes closing. He raised his fist enough that he could hit him in the chest once, his hand then gathering a fistful of his best friend's coat. "Idiot… I told you we'd meet again in the next life."

Axel let out a quiet laugh.

"Yeah… you did, didn't you?"

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**Yeaaaah so I don't think this counts as a drabble anymore, it got a lot longer than a drabble is supposed to be, I think. Idk. |D; Oh well, it was fun to write. Feels good to be back in writing. B)**

**Peace!**

**~Remiel~**


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